Experiment 1: Law of Reflection
In this experiment, you will investigate reflection using a laser and mirror.
Materials
Laser Pointer
Mirror Support
Plane Mirror
Protractor
*Sheet of Paper
*You Must Provide
Procedure
1. Place a sheet of paper on a flat su

Experiment 2: Snells Law
In this experiment, you will verify Snells Law using a refraction cell and laser. You will also
observe total internal reflection.
Materials
Refraction Cell
2 Protractors
Laser Pointer
*Masking Tape (optional)
*Sheet of Paper
*Wat

Experiment 3: The Doppler Effect
In this experiment, you will observe the effect of moving sources on wave frequency.
Materials
(1) 8 oz. Styrofoam Cup
*Bathtub or Sink
*Water
*You Must Provide
Procedure
1. Fill a sink or bathtub with enough water to have

Experiment 2: Wave Speed of Microwaves
When you cook food in a microwave, it is heated by an energy transfer in the form of
microwaves. When the microwaves encounter the wall of the oven they bounce back and
create standing waves which in turn create node

Pre-Lab Questions
Use Figure 4 to answer Pre-Lab Questions 1 and 2.
1. Rank the index of refraction in each of the
materials from highest to lowest. If two
quantities are equal, denote they are equal
with an equal sign.
Figure 4: Light (indicated by the a

Pre-Lab Questions
1. If a wave traveling through air decreases its wavelength by half, what happens to the
wave speed and frequency?
=
Wave speed does not change V=constant.
Speed of the wave is constant.
Wave speed is the property of the medium and it is

Pre-Lab Questions
1. Two identical balls are charged to +q and +2q respectively. Draw a free body diagram
for the electrostatic force on both balls when they are a distance of 1 m away from
each other. Remember vectors have both size (depicted by the leng

Birth Stages on a Life Track
A life track illustrates a stars surface temperature and luminosity at different
moments in time
Life Tracks for Different Masses
Models show that Sun required about 30 million years to go from protostar to
main sequence
Hi

Birth Stages on a Life Track
A life track illustrates a stars surface temperature and luminosity at different
moments in time
Life Tracks for Different Masses
Models show that Sun required about 30 million years to go from protostar to
main sequence
Hi

Chapter 20
Different types of galaxies
Formed early on from large clouds with no momentum
Disk component: stars of all ages, many gas clouds
Spheroidal component: bulge and halo, old stars, few gas clouds
How do we measure the distances to galaxies?
o

Chapter 16 Star Birth
Composition of Clouds
1. We can determine the composition of interstellar gas from its absorption
lines in the spectra of stars
2. 70% H, 28% He, 2% heavier elements in our region of Milky Way
Molecular Clouds
1. Most of what we know